This is what you call a real shot in the dark. Don got made only because its principal cast Amitabh Bachchan, Pran and Zeenat Aman wanted to help out producer Nariman Irani with his debts. They took a Salim-Javed script that everyone else in the industry had rejected and turned it into a modest production so that some money could be made out of it. The character of Don is inspired by Shammi Kapoor's role in China Town (1962). Irani lost his life during the three years that it took to can Don. It was Manoj Kumar's idea to shoot the song Khaike paan Banaraswala to add some zing to the movie. And it is the popularity of the song that made the audiences flock to watch Don. Everyone knows today Don is considered one of Amitabh Bachchan?s most iconic films, having inspired its own remake franchise with Shah Rukh Khan and Farhan Akhtar. Bachchan won the Filmfare Best Actor Award for his behemoth double role performance.

DID YOU KNOW?

1. The profits from the film were given to Irani's widow to settle her husband's debts.2. Zeenat Aman did not take any fee for her work.